The youngster showed a lot of potential with Indian Arrows and now wants to prove himself in ISL…
Hyderabad FC’s Rohit Danu is regarded as one of the youngsters with big potential. He has shown glimpses of brilliance during his stint with Indian Arrows in I-League and now he must replicate his form in the Indian Super League (ISL).
His career has been punctuated with injuries and niggles and the youngster knows that to have an impact and improve as a player he must get more minutes on the pitch. He even missed the start of the 2019-20 season but came back strongly in January to reinvigorate Arrows’ attack. Hyderabad was quick to rope him in the squad following his exploits with the AIFF (All India Football Federation) developmental team, and Danu is itching to prove his worth.
“When I moved from Indian Arrows to Hyderabad FC, I was mentally prepared and motivated to face the challenges. I have always wanted to play to my full potential, for the team. To play regularly, to score goals, to create chances and help my team win is always on my mind.
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“The ISL is a much more professional league when compared to the I-League. The style of play is also different and playing under a Spanish coach is helping me to improve a lot, as a player,” stated the forward in a chat with Goal.
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Every youngster wants to hone his talent under the guidance of an experienced coach and in Hyderabad, he has the perfect mentor in Manuel Marquez. The Spaniard has been in the trade for close to two decades and has been at the helm of teams like Las Palmas and Espanyol Reserves. And Danu is trying to make the most of each training session under the 52-year-old.
“Manolo Marquez is an experienced Spanish coach and training under him is helping me to get stronger and better technically, as well as tactically. The way he guides is so commendable. He helps us learn new things on and off the field. He is very focused and is always helpful.”
Danu also credited AIFF for the exposure trips that were arranged by the federation to lock horns against stronger opponents around the world. He believes that those tournaments helped him further realise his deficiencies and work on them to get better.
“I have to say, where I am today as a player, AIFF has helped me a lot and for this, I am always grateful to them. The exposure trips organised by AIFF helped us to see new things and learn from them. These trips help us to acquire vast knowledge and experience and allows us to focus more on the qualities we lack and identify the areas of our game we need to work on. So, these trips have been crucial to my development as a player,” he said.
The 18-year-old is comfortable with the ball and has a delicate first touch which gives him more time to think about his next move. He can also combine well in the attacking third and is versatile enough to play in any position in a front-three. But he still needs to work on his goal-scoring skills and be more clinical.
“As a player, there are many areas where I have to work on. Especially on my attacking side, I have to work on my speed and be sharper. I also have to work on improving my finishing, and try to be more effective in front of goal.”
With more experience under his belt, Danu might master the art of scoring goals but he already has an enviable record. He scored against Aizawl to become the youngest ever goalscorer in the then top division of Indian football.
In this season he must find his scoring boots if Hyderabad needs to better their performances from the previous season. They had a dismal debut campaign and were toothless in the scoring department which ultimately saw them finish last on the table.
“My target for the upcoming season is obviously to help Hyderabad FC to a strong finish in the 2020-21 ISL campaign. I know that I have to fight for my place in the side because there is so much competition and quality in the squad.”
The Nizams have got Aridane Santana, Joel Chianese and Francisco Sandaza in attack and if Danu steps up his game, the team might finally exorcise the ghosts of the past.
